1896-S Barber Quarter

The Liberty head quarter design of Mint Engraver
Charles Barber began production in 1892, hence its common name, the
Barber Quarter. The design continued until 1916.

There are three undisputed key dates in the Barber Quarter series:
1896-S, 1901-S, and 1913-S. All three have outstanding records of value
increases over a long period of time.

While it is true the original mintage of the
1896-S is nearly five times greater than the 1913-S, there is closer
parity in value. This is because between 1896 and 1913, interest in
coin collecting grew significantly.

When it became public that not many quarters were issued from the
San Francisco Mint in 1913, collectors quickly culled the 1913-S from
circulation. Thus, a much higher percentage of 1913-S quarters were
saved, relative to the 1896-S.

The price trend chart of the 1896-S is presented below. It has
maintained pace rather nicely with the Rare Coin Values Index as a
whole.

1896-S Barber Quarter (G-4 Condition)

The percent change in value of the 1896-S
Barber Quarter is charted by the blue line above. The red line charts
the progress of the Rare Coin Values Index. Both start at a baseline
score of 100 in the Year 2000. The Index is made up of a
cross-sectional group of 87 rare US coins. The goal of the Index is to
monitor the ups and downs of the rare US coin market. The 1896-S Barber
Quarter is one of the 87 coins included in the Index, and closely
follows the Index trend. The Index is updated every month.